The subject matter disclosed herein relates to power conversion systems. More specifically, the present disclosure generally relates to controlling the switching of a number of power electronic devices in a power conversion system to improve its performances.
Wide band gap semiconductors, such as silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN), are increasingly being used in power electronic devices, such as metal—oxide—semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFETs). Wide band gap power electronic devices generally have relatively low switching losses at relatively high switching rates (e.g., kilohertz (kHz) to Megahertz (MHz) range), operate at relatively high junction temperatures, and operate at relatively high voltages as compared to other power electronic devices that do not employ wide band gap semiconductor within the respective device. As such, wide band gap power electronic devices have gained interest in recent years in view of their switching performance and high temperature operation capabilities.
It may also be appreciated that commercial power conversion systems may include tens or hundreds of power electronic devices that cooperate to convert electrical power from one form to another, and that even minor mismatches in the timing of the switching operations of the power electronic devices can dramatically degrade the performance of the overall system. It may further be appreciated that the switching operations of the power electronic devices may be mismatched as a result of variability between two different power electronic devices at the time of manufacturing and/or as a result of changes in the switching behavior of a power electronic device over its operational lifetime.